What Neytiri Didn't Tell Jake – Take 2
by Tisrusewa Karyu
Summary: Neytiri takes Jake to the Tree of Voices to explain the facts of life to him, only to have her man of action take the lead before she got around to the most important details. This is what happens when Jake discovers those missing details.


**What Neytiri Didn't Tell Jake – Take 2**

I gratefully acknowledge one of the foremost creative geniuses of our times, James Cameron, for conceiving the lush moon Pandora and the "noble savages," the Na'vi, that inhabit it. This story uses the characters and setting he created for his movie, Avatar. I have not received any money for my work based on Avatar. If I could get paid by the hour for these stories, I would retire and spend all my time dancing and writing in comfort.

This story is the second in an irregular series of one shots that explores one of the details James Cameron purposefully keeps from describing, the mating habits of the Na'vi. In the original movie, Neytiri takes Jake to the Tree of Voices to explain the facts of life to him, only to have her man of action take the lead before she got around to the most important details. This take is loosely based on an approach originally seen in the original Star Trek television series.

**No wonder they're such good card players...**

As the evening meal is well underway and the singers are about to begin their warm-ups, a woman's voice is heard plainly yelling over the din. "Don't look at my mate! He's mine!"

Another woman screams in reply. "Skxawng! I didn't look at him!"

The first woman sticks her face into the face of the second woman and screams, "I saw you! Don't lie to me!"

Mo'at runs to them and separates them, yelling, "Sisters! Stop this!" Holding one woman's wrist with each hand, she turns them around so all three are facing the clan. The clan becomes deathly quiet. "Just yesterday, I told my daughter that we are thirty two days from the baby festival. I was hoping that the recent time of sorrows and the work of getting our new home in shape would delay the unhappiness of this season. She told me that she felt it coming on already, and thought it was going to be early and worse this year. This outburst makes me think she is right."

The first woman breaks down in tears and says, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I should have known."

The second woman, also sobbing, says, "I forgive you. I've been feeling it, too. I could have been looking at your mate without knowing."

Mo'at draws them together so they can hug. "The baby festival is quickly approaching, and the clan must begin preparations. This can be a very tense time, but together we will make it through, as we have every year for generations." She pauses while the clan is restless. "We will have major changes this year. Neytiri and I are swapping roles. Now that she is mated, she will take care of all other mated women. With my mate gone, I will take care of all women and girls without mates. As we have a new clan leader, Jake will take care of all men and boys this year. However, this is his first baby festival, so some men, especially the elders, will have to help him through this trying time." She turns back to the two women, still hugging, and speaks with them privately.

Jake looks to Neytiri and asks, "What does your mother mean by that?"

Neytiri's face colors and her tahni brighten up with embarrassment. "I have much to explain to you. I'm sorry, but I thought I would have more time to tell you what you need to know. This isn't the time or place. Let's go up to our favorite nook high in the tree after we are done here, and we'll start."

Jake makes a troubled face, but says, "OK, it's a date. I'll tell the warriors to secure the area for the night without me. We'll have the rest of the evening to talk."

Neytiri nods and answers, "Good, that will give us plenty of time."

* * *

High up in the tree, well above the branches used by the ikran makto to mount their flying partners, Jake and Neytiri snuggle into their favorite hollow space. They spend their precious free time together in this space, away from the many cares they have with their clan below. Neytiri pulls her queue around and hands it to Jake. "Make tsaheylu with me, and we'll get started."

Jake makes the bond, and once their coupled nervous system settles down, he thinks, "What was your mother talking about?"

"That night at the Tree of Voices, I had so much I needed to tell you. I wasn't expecting our feelings about each other to be so great. And I certainly wasn't expecting us to become mated."

"Yeah, I know, one thing led to another, and here we are."

"I had a whole speech ready to give you, and I barely got started. Remember how I said you had to choose a woman?"

"That seemed odd to me, that's why I said I had already chosen a woman, but that woman must also choose me."

"I didn't realize how much I loved you until you said that. Since my parents ran the clan, I had little say in what I wanted. After Silwanin went to Eywa, I had to take her place as Tsahìk in training, and that meant I would be mated to Tsu'tey."

"You weren't looking forward to mating with him?"

"He always treated me coldly, like his little sister, and it seemed worse after Silwanin was gone. He wanted to kill as many tawtute as he could, but my father forbade all retribution. I always wondered if he would ever get over it without spilling blood, and what I would find in his mind if we made tsaheylu."

"That explains a lot. It must have been tough."

"When you came along, I still hated the tawtute. But Eywa stopped me with signs the two times I was going to kill you or let you die. In time, I saw you were a good person, even though you are a skxawng."

"Thanks, I think. I came along and upset everything planned for you."

"I'm glad you did, my love. It was difficult at first, going against my parents, but I am happy now. Let's get back to the baby festival. It is the reason why every adult man is to choose a woman."

"Uh-huh."

"Once a year, all Na'vi women are afflicted with a strong, overwhelming desire to mate and have a baby. Mated women practically attack their mates, as you will see."

"I'm looking forward to that."

Neytiri slaps Jake's leg and laughs out loud. "You would. Sometimes, women will get pregnant during the rest of the year, but usually it happens during the baby festival."

"You said all women get this. What about the ones that are not mated?"

"They will go after all men, and as you saw tonight, even some mated men, in the hope of snaring one to become their mate and satisfy this incredible urge."

Jake whistles. "All women have this at the same time? It sounds like total chaos."

"It can be. That is why we say the man must choose the woman. Let's pretend you are unmated now. I think every unmated woman in the clan, including my mother, would be after you. I can remember Tsu'tey saying some women pursued him, even though everyone knew his mate was going to be Silwanin or me. You will have some women come after you. I just hope I don't hurt any of them."

"So do I. You would do that?"

"The urge is so strong, it overpowers reason and civility. There has been violence in the past. Women hurt women for many reasons, and women hurt men that reject them. I remember when I was a child, a woman pursued a man who went hunting to get away, and the man killed her accidentally after she jumped him out in the forest."

"Really. That should not have happened."

"But it did. Things tend to fall apart until after it's over."

"Why's that?"

"All women will become increasingly driven and distracted as we get near the final day, the day of the baby festival. Mating is the only thing that matters. All men must do their best to keep everyone safe and fed. All women of the right age are ready to conceive the four days before that, and all mated couples spend their time together for those five days. The unmated men, the mated couples beyond child-bearing age, and the children must carry the clan as best they can. The day after, everyone is exhausted and tired, but more than ready to return to normal. Usually, everyone is overly nice for many days."

"Your mother said the elders have to help me. In what ways?"

"There will be outbursts almost every day, like the one earlier. You must see to it that the whole area around New Hometree has people capable of breaking up altercations at all times. That is in addition to keeping everyone fed and safe."

"That is a big job."

"My mother and I will assign women to small groups that check up on themselves throughout each day. That seems to work very well, but there still will be some quarrels."

"What did your father do?"

"My father had the hunters and gathers bring in as much food as possible before things get too bad, so there's food on hand when things get worse. Older children watch for problems and run for help when quarrels break out, and take turns preparing food. Younger children take care of the babies and toddlers. The unmated adults, young or old, continue hunting and watch for problems on their rest days."

"OK, I'll talk to the elders and ask for their advice, and get the hunters to bring in all the meat they can, and have it preserved for later. What about the mated adults?"

"There are some who don't seem affected. Use them where ever they are needed. The rest, well, they'll be very busy with their mates. You'll see."

"It's quiet tonight, up here. Let's get a head start, so that maybe it won't be so bad for you later."

"Somehow, I knew that's what you would want."


End file.
